The album won in a landslide vote. By Thursday night Ace already had a healthy lead. It was just a matter of semantics to let the vote play out over the next few days. While not my favorite album of 2001 it was in my Top 5 and is one of my favorite story telling/concept albums of all time. We probably had the biggest voting turnout for the finals since we started doing this a couple months ago. Thanks to everyone that voted. The next year we're doing is 2009. The nomination thread will go up on Thursday.

Biggest surprise for me was how well Stillmatic placed. Not even in my Top 5 Nas albums.

Ill leave this pinned until Tuesday morning that way everybody that voted gets a 36 hour window to see what won before the thread fades onto the second page.

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no mask

Total Posts: 10121Member Since: 2014Location: Buffoonery!

posted Sunday, March 04, 2018 5:45:20 PMHappy to see ace win it. Just glad jay z didnt win. Stillmatic is like the 27th best from 2001.

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Sp 90s

Total Posts: 3178Member Since: 2013

posted Sunday, March 04, 2018 5:50:25 PMCant be mad about that.

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aeokq

Total Posts: 7511Member Since: 2006

posted Sunday, March 04, 2018 5:51:37 PMI wish I could like this album as much as everyone else but I don't. Production falls flat a bit flat imo. There are a few nice tracks though. I give it props for originality.

If i remember correctly wasn't the High and Mighty beef a misunderstanding by Ace?

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Daddy Alfredo (Admin)

Total Posts: 13064Member Since: 2017Location: R.I.P. Urkin

posted Sunday, March 04, 2018 6:31:18 PMstillmatic is not better than blueprint. this forum needs to lay off the drunk posting and drunk life if u think that list isnt some try to be different asshole bullshit.

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dj rolo

Total Posts: 5719Member Since: 1999Location: New Bedford, MA USA

posted Sunday, March 04, 2018 6:37:46 PMi ain't mad at that winner, def in my top 5...but Stillmatic? c'mon now...Blueprint even was a better album, but both them albums don't deserve top 10 IMO, but whatever

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Clockworx (Admin)

Total Posts: 43851Member Since: 2012Location: The burbs of NJ

posted Sunday, March 04, 2018 6:47:20 PMYea Stillmatic sticks out like a sore thumb on that list. I'm really not surprised at the other 9 even though i thought J-Live would be ranked a little higher.

Half the beats on Stillmatic are garbage. Give me Ether, Rewind, Destroy & Rebuild, and The Flyest and the rest of the album can go kick rocks. Yea that includes One Mic and You're da Man. Bring it on bros.

The Blueprint is great. The two big singles, Izzo and Girls, Girls, Girls, are the only two auto skip tracks on it for me. Everything else is good to great.

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felipedahiphopadict01

Total Posts: 1276Member Since: 2017Location: san borja lima peru

posted Sunday, March 04, 2018 7:11:39 PMi dont think so alfredo, you dont get to decide which one is better, is a matter of taste, and nas is waaay better mc than jay

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Clockworx (Admin)

Total Posts: 43851Member Since: 2012Location: The burbs of NJ

posted Sunday, March 04, 2018 7:27:06 PMNas might be a better emcee than Jay, not saying i think that but its debatable, but Blueprint takes a shit all over Stillmatic.

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dj rolo

Total Posts: 5719Member Since: 1999Location: New Bedford, MA USA

posted Sunday, March 04, 2018 7:30:25 PMonly two songs i thought was even good on Stillmatic was "Stillmatic Intro" and "You're Da Man"....rest was crap.

but i agree, I woulda thought J-Live woulda made top 3 and Can Ox woulda took the top spot

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Clockworx (Admin)

Total Posts: 43851Member Since: 2012Location: The burbs of NJ

posted Sunday, March 04, 2018 7:34:57 PMFor selfish reasons im glad Cold Vein didn't win cause not a fan of it. Mega was my favorite album of the year. Thought it had an outside shot until i did the first vote count on Thursday night. Still glad it got recognized Top 3.

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ern

Total Posts: 4557Member Since: 2008

posted Sunday, March 04, 2018 7:39:46 PM"stillmatic is not better than blueprint. this forum needs to lay off the drunk posting and drunk life if u think that list isnt some try to be different asshole bullshit."

really, gino. you're going to be the one to say that? hahaha.

I'm probably more fond of Stillmatic than most here, but yeah there are probably albums that are better. The Blueprint is definitely better. But who gives a shit what album came in 4th, 5th, 6th place, it didnt win.

posted Sunday, March 04, 2018 9:46:10 PMIt was ok but forgettable to me. I know im probably in the minority with my thoughts on Stillmatic but how you bros view that album is how i view Gods Son minus that shitbag track I Can.

No way that's a weak lineup. need to ease up off that smoke if you think otherwise. Ill raise my glass to it.

No Mask, i got 4/5 albums that made top 5, you got how many? 1? Yea, good call - drink another coors light(alley cats wouldn't drink that piss water) you goof. If you think "bud" is playing hard, you're as soft as your top 5 list.

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 7:25:44 AMout of that top 15 for this year i can name 10 albums that are way doper than 10 of those. same problem as always on here: most just scrape the surface and vote for that weaker shit.

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dj rolo

Total Posts: 5719Member Since: 1999Location: New Bedford, MA USA

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 8:51:05 AMi guess i'm in the minority here then cus to me Stillmatic was real weak...maybe 2 -3 good tracks (and the Intro was one of them)

Cold Vein and Disposable Arts are neck and neck for me, both for different reasons but i ain't mad at either winning. Cormegha's album was decent to me, nothing super special, i think it's kinda overrated, even back then and in retrospect, def not better than J-Live's album

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tippi dink

Total Posts: 8265Member Since: 5/5/2015Location: bluffington

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 9:33:45 AMlike clock pointed out, after thursday it seemed like this would be the winner without a doubt but i'm surprised at the point difference between the number 1 and number 2 albums. personally this isn't my favorite album from 2001 but it's probably 2001 and i get why it won, it's definitely more accessible and has broader appeal than cold vein, labor days, and some of these other albums that didn't even make the top 10. interesting that j-live's album placed as low on the list as it did though, i'd put that above the cormega album personally.

looking forward to the 2009 vote, i don't think that year will have such a clear winner

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lex718

Total Posts: 1846Member Since: 2017Location: Queens, NYC

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 9:57:02 AMLOL at everyone complaining about Stillmatic being in the top 5 of 2001. Y'all MFs too underground for your own good sometimes.

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tippi dink

Total Posts: 8265Member Since: 5/5/2015Location: bluffington

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 10:09:10 AM personally this isn't my favorite album from 2001 but it's probably 2001 and i get why it won

i meant that disposable arts is probably top 5 lol, it's too early for this shit

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dj rolo

Total Posts: 5719Member Since: 1999Location: New Bedford, MA USA

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 10:15:22 AMlex, what is "too underground"? i don't even understand that but the only reason it shoulnd't be even in the top 10 is because it wasn't even good, few of those songs i'd even say were kinda wack

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lex718

Total Posts: 1846Member Since: 2017Location: Queens, NYC

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 10:22:19 AMIt means people hold very tightly to shit needing to sound a specific way to be dope. When I think of Stillmatic I think of songs like "Rewind", "One Mic", "Second Childhood" that were original as fuck, songs like "Destroy and Rebuild" and "Ether" that were dis tracks on a major release at a time when dis songs just came back into the fold, tracks like "You're da Man" and the Intro that even the most underground loving heads should appreciate, tracks like "Every Ghetto" and "What Goes Around" that were uplifting and dumb official. I won't front like I was singing along to Braveheart Party (lol) but this joint is universally regarded as Nas' comeback album after a drop in his catalog. Shit was dope.

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lex718

Total Posts: 1846Member Since: 2017Location: Queens, NYC

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 10:23:57 AMDisposable Arts was my favorite album of that year so I'm happy with the results. To me, I couldn't get into Cold Vein like that, but I ain't mad at other people thinking it's dope.

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dj rolo

Total Posts: 5719Member Since: 1999Location: New Bedford, MA USA

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 10:26:29 AMcouldnt disagree more...a few of them tracks were cringe-worthy, and Ether was garbage, still don't get how people even like that track. it was like a semi-crossover pop album with catchy shit made for casual fans. The Intro was fire, the Large Pro track for sure, the Preem track was ehh, the rest...just wasn't good

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lex718

Total Posts: 1846Member Since: 2017Location: Queens, NYC

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 10:35:52 AMWe can agree to disagree. I personally don't mind if shit is made with crossover appeal if I can still enjoy the beats and rhymes, which I really did. I'm not the biggest fan of Ether as I just didn't think the beat was that dope but I'd be fronting if I didn't see the impact of that record and what it meant to see a battle at the top NY at the time. While I didn't think it was the stronger song, it brought the word Ether into the urban dictionary and it's still used as a verb today. I don't love Ether as a song but I love what it did (and can listen to it within the context of that album).

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Daddy Alfredo (Admin)

Total Posts: 13064Member Since: 2017Location: R.I.P. Urkin

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 10:43:01 AMlex how am i too underground wen i wanted jay-z to win and stillmatic having no place in the top 5. people that voted nas over jay-z are too underground.

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lex718

Total Posts: 1846Member Since: 2017Location: Queens, NYC

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 11:21:05 AMThat's not what I was saying. I had browsed through a few comments after reading the winner and a lot of them had some kind of remark about Stillmatic in a negative light. I'm not singling any one comment out, I read a bunch of things and responded with my remark. Crazy how everybody calls each other faggots here and no one bats an eye but when I say heads may be too underground heads is getting offended, lol.. Technically, to your point regarding your comment, ranking Jay Z over Nas would not be the "underground" thing to do. Although, I do think production-wise, The Blueprint did have more of a traditionalist approach in sound.

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Daddy Alfredo (Admin)

Total Posts: 13064Member Since: 2017Location: R.I.P. Urkin

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 11:38:04 AMpicking ne jay-z album over a nas album is the opposite of an ughh head. i totally dont identify with the "ughh" head thing at all. i go back and listen to the stuff wen underground was big, late 90s to the early and mid 00s and a ton of it sounds as dated as the 90s stuff.

Partial IP: 43.230.209

dj rolo

Total Posts: 5719Member Since: 1999Location: New Bedford, MA USA

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 11:43:58 AMi never understood why people called others "underground", or people claimed themselves to "be underground", rap is rap...whether you major pop act or you indie, hiphop still hiphop.

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lex718

Total Posts: 1846Member Since: 2017Location: Queens, NYC

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 11:57:17 AMSorry guys, I won't use the U-Word anymore. I do agree, good and bad are the only distinctions that really matter when it comes to rap (or any music).

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Daddy Alfredo (Admin)

Total Posts: 13064Member Since: 2017Location: R.I.P. Urkin

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 12:17:24 PMits not even good or bad cuz this is "art" and its a taste thing or even a mood. some days i hate the stuff i love and love the stuff i supposedly hate.

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 2:25:34 PMWhat ETW is trying to say is that music is subjective not objective.

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Clockworx (Admin)

Total Posts: 43851Member Since: 2012Location: The burbs of NJ

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 5:13:37 PMIt's not that Sillmatic isn't underground enough as much as it just flat out sucks for the most part. Blueprint would've either been my 6 or 7th choice given the opportunity.

2009 has an abundance of albums to choose from. I too don't think there's going to be a clear cut winner.

Just a reminder of what the past winners were...

2003

2005

2007

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Daddy Alfredo (Admin)

Total Posts: 13064Member Since: 2017Location: R.I.P. Urkin

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 5:27:33 PMi told clock via text that wen 00-09 is done, the 2000's best of voting should be cool.

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Daddy Alfredo (Admin)

Total Posts: 13064Member Since: 2017Location: R.I.P. Urkin

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 5:40:27 PMbut of course the obvious pick for an underground head would go with stillmatic cuz hes the more lyrical one and jay being the "commercial faggot" pick cuz hes more flashy and bragging on every track. i just think everything on blueprint is better than stillmatic in every way and im not saying that cuz i like jay more or cuz i think reasonable doubt is better than illmatic. its pretty much the opinion across the board, of course except here. i better never get accused of trying to be different for the sake of being different again. that top 10 and this winner is the epitome of that. seriously startling

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Clockworx (Admin)

Total Posts: 43851Member Since: 2012Location: The burbs of NJ

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 5:42:37 PMStillmatic and Cold Vein are the only two i'm not feeling in the Top 10. I haven't peeped Labor Days enough to decide. I'm pleasantly surprised Necro cracked the Top 10. Gory Days had some meh tracks but overall was pretty fucking dope. Nostalgia factor too as i went HAM in 2001 with it.

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Daddy Alfredo (Admin)

Total Posts: 13064Member Since: 2017Location: R.I.P. Urkin

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 5:43:27 PMludacris word of mouf coulda took atleast 7 of these spots for me and pretty much those 7 spots from ne rap fan except the good people of ughh. its just annoying. thers tons of mainstream threads the last 5 yrs but its not showing up in these aoty threads which make me think ther all troll shit. cuz luda is better than fuckin j live lol

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the weatherman (Admin)

Total Posts: 21990Member Since: 2005Location: CA

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 6:30:57 PMpimps don't pay taxes not cracking the top 5 is kinda a bummer....

that album is damn near flawless in concept and execution. truly the greatest thing zone has ever done.

I don't mind DA being the winner, it's a rock solid album, but I don't think it's as good as a few of the albums that finished behind it.

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felipedahiphopadict01

Total Posts: 1276Member Since: 2017Location: san borja lima peru

posted Monday, March 05, 2018 6:50:52 PMno mask if your taste is so great why most heads wont agree with, what is it about the albums that u mentioned that makes them less likeable in others people΄s mind, as you know i respect you and i thnik you are very intelligent but i just feel like you really want your opinion to be undebatable when is not